If you are not ready for Q4 – the last quarter of the calendar year, the best giving season of the calendar year, the period of time you should be bringing it all home – and not sure how you will approach all of your caseload donors, then you are behind and it’s time to burn the midnight oil and catch up.
You can do it, but it is going to take a special effort on your part, an effort I will outline in this post.
Jeff and I get particularly anxious at this time of year because we find that many MGOs have not done the planning necessary back in the summer to make the special push that must happen in the October to December period.
And some MGOs are busy planning for the distribution of Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hanukkah gifts, which are usually made up of an assortment of mostly useless junk that has nothing to do with the charity they work for.
Sorry to be so harsh about this, but think about it.  A donor loves helping feed the hungry in her city or overseas, or a donor wants to support water development in a poor village in Africa, or a donor wants to support literacy programs, and what shows up on his doorstep?  A basket of candy or a lapel pin with the logo of the organization or flowers or some assortment of trinkets that the organization just happens to have left over from some past event.
Think about this.  What does this have to do with the cause?  Nothing.  But this happens way too often.  And the reason that this happens is the MGO has not done the hard work he needs to do to manage the donors on his caseload.  Instead, this superficial effort becomes a substitute for the joy and fulfillment that could be brought to the donor if the MGO was in touch with the donor’s interests and passions.
OK, so it’s late in the game.  The fourth quarter is already 1/6^th gone.  But there is still time.  Here is what I would do to catch up:

1. Stop everything right now and review your entire caseload, looking especially at those Tier 1 and Tier 2 (or A and B) donors who have the highest inclination and capacity to give.  On a caseload of 150 qualified donors that could be somewhere between 30-50 donors, maybe a few more.  Look at those donors and ask yourself if you have a specific plan in place for Q4 for each of them.  If you don’t, get busy.  If you do, review the plan.  Is it still right?  Are you heading in the right direction?  Is the timing right?  Is the ask amount right?  Should you even do an ask, or would a stewardship move be better?  Careful on this one.  You may think a stewardship move is best, but you could also be leaving a generous gift on the table.  My point is this: quickly review where you are with the top of your caseload pyramid and make plans or changes NOW!
2. Make plan adjustments and re-prioritize.  There are 70+ days left in the calendar year.  That’s it.  Think about how you are going to use every one of those days.  Put most of the effort against those top tier donors.  I would haul out your calendar and look at what you have planned for each of these days.  If there are a ton of in-house meetings or items that have nothing to do with your donors, cancel them.  You do not have the time to be listening to organizational chatter.  It’s donor time now.  Re-prioritize.  Make the plan adjustments you need to make for each donor.  And remember this operating principle as you adjust those plans: The donor wants to help – so provide a situation where she can help. She wants a problem to solve.  There are interests and passions in her heart and head that need to be fulfilled.  Make sure everything you do is about that.
3. Start every day with donor-centered purpose.  I mean it.  Think about this:  your job, the thing that occupies a majority of your life, is connecting donors to what they care about. If you are doing the job well, you are constantly thinking about the donor and her experience with you.  In every MGO job there are scores of distractions that pull the MGO away from this important focus.  It happens every day.  Every day.  This is why, at the beginning of the day, we suggest you consciously have this thought:  “My job today is to serve donors and help them fulfill their interests and passions through our organization.  I will not let anything interfere with that focus today.  My donors deserve my attention and valuing.  I will stay focused on them.”  If you actually say a version of this as you start your day you will be surprised and how it helps you sort out all the stuff you should not be doing or thinking during the day.  I suggest you write this out as a focusing statement and post it right above your computer so you are forced to keep your mind on your donors every day.  Believe me, it will help.

It’s donor time!  And you have the power and skills to make the most of it.  It is just a matter of stopping, getting above all the noise in your life right now and making sure that your good donors are being properly served during this very important time of the year.
Take the time right now to get alone and do this work.  It will make your Q4 the best experience you have had professionally and personally.
Richard